Win HACKSAW RIDGE Poster Signed by Mel Gibson!

To commemorate the upcoming Veteran’s Day holiday tomorrow, we are pleased to be offering you a chance to win one of two official posters from the newly released film HACKSAW RIDGE (reviewed here). The posters have been signed by the film’s director Mel Gibson and feature the heroic main character Desmond Doss (portrayed by Andrew Garfield).

Synposis:

HACKSAW RIDGE is the extraordinary true story of WWII medic Desmond Doss, played by Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spiderman), who, in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of WWII, miraculously saved 75 men in a matter of hours without firing or carrying a gun. He was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon, except the simple prayer he uttered before he single-handedly evacuated the wounded from behind enemy lines, under constant enemy gunfire and artillery bombardment. Doss’ courage and faith won the admiration of his commanders and fellow soldiers, as he saved the lives of the very men who had persecuted him for refusing to carry a gun. He believed the war was just, but to kill under any circumstance was wrong. Doss was labeled the first conscientious objector (he called himself a “conscientious cooperator” as he volunteered) to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. Hacksaw Ridge is directed by Mel Gibson (Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ) and also stars Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths and Vince Vaughn.

About Author

Lisa M. Hendey is the founder and editor of CatholicMom.com and the bestselling author of the Chime Travelers children's fiction series, The Grace of Yes, The Handbook for Catholic Moms and A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms. As a board member and frequent host on KNXT Catholic Television, Lisa has produced and hosted multiple programs and has appeared on EWTN and CatholicTV. Hendey hosted “Catholic Moments” on Radio Maria and is the technology contributor for EWTN’s SonRise Morning Show. Lisa's articles have appeared in Catholic Digest, National Catholic Register, and Our Sunday Visitor. Hendey travels internationally giving workshops on faith, family, and Catholic technology and communications topics. She was selected as an Elizabeth Egan Journalism Fellow, attended the Vatican Bloggers Meeting, the “Bishops and Bloggers” meeting and has written internationally on the work of Catholic Relief Services and Unbound. Hendey lives with her family in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Visit Lisa at www.LisaHendey.com for information on her speaking schedule or to invite her to visit your group, parish or organization.

I did not pay much attention to the movie’s opening and would not have attended had not my son asked me to go. Not only was the movie well done, but by its end I simply could not wrap my head around the amount of courage demonstrated by Desmond Doss. It’s one thing to accept the weapons of war and to use them in the course of bravery. It is another to adhere to one’s (Christian) principles while accepting the possible consequences of harm to self. Alvin York is held up as an example of a pacifist who reluctantly went to battle in World War I, but he apparently became convinced that fighting could be justified biblically (see Wikipedia entry on York). This was not the case for Doss as is made plain in the movie.

Both “Hacksaw Ridge” and “Sergeant York” (which I have not seen) reportedly take some artistic license with actual events. Nevertheless, “Hacksaw Ridge” is not overly sentimental and makes no glorification of war, however much war is viewed as necessary. Alvin York did many great things for his community after WWI. It would be interesting to know more about Doss after he went home.